Stakeholder management studies in mega construction projects: A review and future directions

The complex and uncertain nature of mega construction projects (MCP) require an effective stakeholder management (SM) approach to accommodate conflicting stakeholder interests. Previous reviews regarding SM in construction sector are generic as their attentions have been placed on relatively small scale projects. A systematic review on SM studies in relation to MCP seems to be lacking. This paper analyzes the latest research development of this domain by reviewing selected articles published from 1997 to 2014. Four major research topics are identified: “stakeholder interests and influences”, “stakeholder management process”, “stakeholder analysis methods” and “stakeholder engagement”. This study reveals that SM approaches in MCP are subject to national context of the project, indicating a need to identify the impact of national culture on this discipline. Moreover, traditional stakeholder analysis techniques are widely adopted in MCP notwithstanding their weaknesses; therefore a social network approach for managing stakeholder interrelationships in these projects is needed. •A systematic review on SM studies in relation to MCP seems to be lacking.•Four main research topics regarding SM in MCP have been identified.•SM practice in MCP is subject to national or regional environment of the project.•An exploration into the impact of national culture on SM in MCP is needed.•Empirical studies using SNA to analyze stakeholder relationships in MCP are needed.